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Darqueze Dennard | Cornerback

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ESPN's Todd McShay believes Michigan State CB Darqueze Dennard was one of the top first-round value picks.

The Bengals grabbed Dennard with the No. 24 overall pick. "He dropped a bit because of durability concerns, but assuming he stays on the field he could wind up as one of the 10-15 best players in this class," McShay wrote. "He isn't a burner and didn't pick off a ton of passes, but he's Velcro in coverage, sticking to receivers with great instincts, quickness and body control in press-man coverage." Dennard (5-foot-10 7/8, 199) earned the 2013 Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back. He'll likely be a quality starter from Day 1. Sun, May 11, 2014 03:59:00 PM

Corner was a glaring need for the Bengals with Terence Newman entering his age-36 season and Leon Hall coming off another Achilles' tear. Dennard (5-foot-10 7/8, 199) earned the 2013 Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back, and finished his career with ten interceptions across 40 starts. Although Dennard is not a straight-line burner (4.51 forty), he offers highly explosive short-area athleticism (11-foot-2 broad jump) and was one of college football's most physical cover men over the past three years. Dennard's playing style perfectly fits today's NFL as a press-man corner who disrupts routes. He projects as a quality early-career starter. Thu, May 8, 2014 10:59:00 PM

ESPN's Todd McShay doesn't believe the Titans will take a QB at No. 11.

Instead, McShay slots them Michigan State CB Darqueze Dennard at No. 11. Tennessee has been a popular QB destination in recent mocks -- with prospects ranging from Blake Bortles to Teddy Bridgewater to Derek Carr assigned to the Titans -- but McShay doesn't see it, despite noting the club's most glaring weakness. "I actually think this is an underrated team that is a good quarterback away from being really good," he wrote. Tue, Apr 29, 2014 07:59:00 PM

Steelers GM Kevin Colbert and HC Mike Tomlin traveled to East Lansing for Michigan State CB Darqueze Dennard's pro day and have "shown so much interest" in him, notes CBS Sports' Dane Brugler.

Dennard's lackluster measurements have pushed him down draft boards, but that might only serve to make him available to a team like Pittsburgh in the mid-first. The 2013 Jim Thorpe Award winner "lacks track speed, but has enough wheels, allowing very little separation with his read/react quickness and smooth body control," wrote Brugler. "Dennard is a tad too grabby and needs to learn what he can get away with at the NFL level, but he's sticky in coverage and projects as a reliable NFL starter." The Steelers also figure to be interested in Virginia Tech's Kyle Fuller, Oklahoma State's Justin Gilbert and Ohio State's Bradley Roby. Sun, Apr 27, 2014 11:35:00 PM

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Corner was a glaring need for the Bengals with Terence Newman entering his age-36 season and Leon Hall coming off another Achilles' tear. Dennard (5-foot-10 7/8, 199) earned the 2013 Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back, and finished his career with ten interceptions across 40 starts. Although Dennard is not a straight-line burner (4.51 forty), he offers highly explosive short-area athleticism (11-foot-2 broad jump) and was one of college football's most physical cover men over the past three years. Dennard's playing style perfectly fits today's NFL as a press-man corner who disrupts routes. He projects as a quality early-career starter.

ESPN's Todd McShay doesn't believe the Titans will take a QB at No. 11.

Instead, McShay slots them Michigan State CB Darqueze Dennard at No. 11. Tennessee has been a popular QB destination in recent mocks -- with prospects ranging from Blake Bortles to Teddy Bridgewater to Derek Carr assigned to the Titans -- but McShay doesn't see it, despite noting the club's most glaring weakness. "I actually think this is an underrated team that is a good quarterback away from being really good," he wrote.

Steelers GM Kevin Colbert and HC Mike Tomlin traveled to East Lansing for Michigan State CB Darqueze Dennard's pro day and have "shown so much interest" in him, notes CBS Sports' Dane Brugler.

Dennard's lackluster measurements have pushed him down draft boards, but that might only serve to make him available to a team like Pittsburgh in the mid-first. The 2013 Jim Thorpe Award winner "lacks track speed, but has enough wheels, allowing very little separation with his read/react quickness and smooth body control," wrote Brugler. "Dennard is a tad too grabby and needs to learn what he can get away with at the NFL level, but he's sticky in coverage and projects as a reliable NFL starter." The Steelers also figure to be interested in Virginia Tech's Kyle Fuller, Oklahoma State's Justin Gilbert and Ohio State's Bradley Roby.

Steelers RCB Ike Taylor believes Pittsburgh will draft a cornerback in the first round.

Taylor sees Bradley Roby, Darqueze Dennard or Justin Gilbert as the most-likely targets. Gilbert is expected to be gone, but Pittsburgh may have its choice amongst the Big 10 products Roby and Dennard. Taylor also believes his team's front office will tab a receiver in Round 2. It's difficult to know what discussions he's had with whom, but he's got the Steelers' biggest needs pegged.

The Jets are zeroing in on potential first-round targets at WR and CB. Dennard would be decent value at No. 18, and he very well may still be available at that point. The draft media has been higher on Dennard than the NFL reportedly is, so it'll be interesting to see where he slots.

Former NFL HC Herm Edwards ranks Michigan State CB Darqueze Dennard as the No. 1 CB in the class.

Edwards is in agreement with the Scouts Inc. crew of Kevin Weidl, Todd McShay and Steve Muench on the topic of Dennard. He also wrote essentially the same analysis, stating that Dennard lacks top-shelf speed but is "the most complete guy at the position." Writes Edwards: "He's not a 4.4-40 guy (4.51 at the combine), but he's got enough speed to stay with receivers, and I really like how he presses. He plays the run well and can recognize pattern combinations."

Scout Inc.'s Kevin Weidl asserts that Michigan State CB Darqueze Dennard "is the most complete" corner in the class.

The Scouts Inc. crew of Weidl, Todd McShay and Steve Muench continue to rank Dennard as the No. 1 CB in the class, a stance many have abandoned. Weidl sees a "hard edge-setter against the run" that excels "when locked up in press man technique." The Spartan isn't easily fooled by fakes, and is a patient and willing blanket downfield, though he must cut down on "the clutching and grabbing," according to the analyst. "Dennard isn't an exceptional athlete like Ohio State's Bradley Roby and he doesn't have as much playmaking ability as Oklahoma State Justin Gilbert," Weidl wrote. "However, he is the most complete player of the bunch and should start drawing attention beginning with Pittsburgh at No. 15 in the first round."

Michigan State CB Darqueze Dennard visited the Bengals between Monday and Tuesday.

"Will he be there at 24?" pondered NFL.com's Ian Rapoport. That, our friends, is a fascinating question. Dennard was once thought to be a top 10 pick, but times have changed. NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah wrote last week that Dennard will fall in May's draft, and he's certainly not alone in thinking that. Jeremiah had Dennard slipping to the 49ers at 30th overall in a mock draft, so he, for one, would answer Rapoport's rhetorical question in the affirmative.

Jeremiah had Dennard slipping to the 49ers at 30th overall in a recent mock draft. "I think it's a real possibility (Dennard slips)," Jeremiah said. "You talk about Bradley Roby from Ohio State, watching him over the summer based on last year's tape, I thought he was outstanding. Maybe the most talented corner in the entire draft class. Now this year, didn't have as good a year and had a bad game against Wisconsin. This time of year, you're starting to hear his name move up the board." Dennard won the Thorpe Award as the best DB in college football last year, but the NFL is apparently down on his less-than-elite speed. Roby is rising for the same reason the Spartan is falling: His measurables are outstanding.

Michigan State CB Darqueze Dennard has three team visits scheduled in the next two weeks, according to NFL.com's Gil Brandt.

Dennard is set to visit the Rams on Thursday and then the Bengals and Jets next week. A report surfaced yesterday which said the NFL was not as high on Dennard's talent as the media is, so there is a chance the veteran corner could be selected in the second-round. Dennard excels in press coverage and staying physical with receivers throughout their route.

No word yet on the dates. ESPN NFL Nation reporter Rich Cimini writes that "cornerback [is] still a top need" for the club. These are two good prospects for them to kicking the tires on, as both figure to come at a lower price than once expected. While the draft media is high on Dennard, the Sideline View's Lance Zierlein believes the NFL is "absolutely not." As for Fuller, NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock calls him one of the most underrated players in the draft.

The NFL is "absolutely not" high on Michigan State CB Darqueze Dennard, according to the Sideline View's Lance Zierlein.

This is significant, since the draft media highly values Dennard's skills. The pure press man corner is very physical with receivers at the line of scrimmage and downfield, and that hand fighting could turn off some evaluators thanks to "illegal contact" being implemented in the NFL. Teams will likely question his long speed as well despite running a 4.51 forty.

The MMQB's Peter King expects the Jets to select a CB in the top two rounds.

King notes the team has six picks in the first four rounds, so they could be in a position to trade up. Darqueze Dennard fits the team's mentality of physical line of scrimmage corners to disrupt and allow the defensive line to get into the backfield. Watch out for second-round types like Bashaud Breeland or Phillip Gaines as well.

Michigan State CB Darqueze Dennard posted a vertical jump of 36-inches and 11-foot-2 broad jump at the school's pro day.

Dennard ran an "official" 4.51 second forty at the Combine and recorded 15 bench press reps. Some teams might be concerned with Dennard's arms (30 1/4 inch) compared to his size (5'11/199), but the defensive back is extremely physical with receivers at every level of the field.